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Have A Brazing Question?Contact Us
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Contact Us
W. Daniel KayDan has an extensive background in brazing engineering, with more than 50-years of hands-on experience in that field.
As a respected expert in brazing, Dan has become known worldwide as an excellent seminar leader, trainer and speaker, just one example of which was demonstrated when he was presented with the Materials Engineering Institute Instructor of Merit Award by ASM International for "..excellence in technical expertise, presentation skills, and quality support materials..".
Dan travels regularly around the US each year, and to many other countries of the world, not only teaching brazing seminars and conducting in-house brazing-training programs (as mentioned in more detail below in the "Background" section), but also visits many companies as a consultant and problem-solver. As a well-versed brazing auditor, Dan helps companies determine if they are doing the correct things to ensure good brazing of components in their operations.
Dan has published numerous articles on the subject of brazing in leading journals in the brazing/welding/heat-treating field, a partial listing of which appears below in the section entitled "Publications". These articles have been well received, especially by those who are responsible for running brazing-plant operations, and have generated many positive comments.
Dan also regularly publishes brief brazing articles on this website, as well as on several other blog-sites, including those hosted by Industrial Heating magazine. These articles can be seen in the "Brazing Articles" tab shown at the top of this page.
Dan's extensive knowledge and experience in brazing has also proven useful over the years when companies are seeking an "Expert Witness" in legal matters between themselves and their workers, suppliers, or customers. Dan's understanding of brazing has enabled clients to bring about resolution to their legal issues, usually without having to go inside a courtroom.
Dan has been operating his own brazing consulting and training business for the last 25-years.
Brazing Training -- Dan has conducted intensive brazing-engineering training seminars for more than 50-years, and continues to do so. These brazing training seminars (varying in length from 1-day to 5-days) are taught each year around the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and several Pacific-basin countries, consisting of regionalized general brazing seminars, as well as intensive in-house specialized training seminars for individual companies, based on their particular needs.
In the past, for many years, Dan conducted semi-annual 3-day furnace brazing seminars in Detroit for Wall Colmonoy along with Robert Peaslee, taught an ASM Brazing Fundamentals course in Materials Park, Ohio, and prior to that, many 3-day torch brazing seminars several times each year while employed at Handy & Harman.
Consultant -- Dan currently visits many companies each year, reviewing and auditing their brazing operations so as to help them define solutions to their brazing and metals-joining problems.
Communicator -- Dan speaks several times each year before trade, civic, and church groups, meetings ranging in size up to several thousand people.
Trade Shows -- He has participated in many shows around the world during the last 50 years, as a technical speaker, as technical-session chair, as host at hospitality suites, and working in booths on the trade show floor.
Kay & Associates, Simsbury, CT. (1996 -- present)
(Leading independent US supplier of non-biased brazing training programs, audits, and brazing problem solving)
-- Dan continues to be the leading, independent consultant/trainer to the brazing industry on all aspects of brazing engineering, business development, strategic planning, and development of in-house technical expertise for brazing problem solving and problem prevention. Dan's training programs vary from hands-on training in torch and furnace brazing to large brazing forums at hotels around the world.
Wall Colmonoy Corporation, Madison Heights, MI. (l980--1995)
(Manufacturer of nickel-alloy powders for furnace brazing and thermal-spray, and a high temperature heat treat and brazing processor of metal parts)
-- While at WCC, Dan held various operating postions, including: Asst. Vice President of Manufacturing (he was responsible for overall operations at all five of WCC's Nicrobraz Division processing plants around the US; plant general manager for the Detroit Processing Plant (this plant manufactured all the company's brazing products, and also had numerous vacuum and atmosphere furnaces for commercial brazing and heat-treating operations); Brazing Products Manager (world-wide); and also was the director of the Brazing Engineering Center (WCC's Detroit-based R&D center for development of brazing products and applications for same).
Handy & Harman, New York, N.Y. (l974--l980)
(Leading manufacturer, supplier, and refiner of precious metal alloys)
-- Brazing Products Engineer. Dan was the head brazing engineer on corporate engineering staff involved in customer liaison, brazing-training, new product development, and the marketing and advertising for the brazing product line. Also responsible for trade show development, salesmen training, and problem solving for customers.
Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
Michigan State University, Management Education Center, Troy, MI
Bachelor of Metallurgical Engineering (B. Met. Eng)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y.
I write the "Brazing Q&A" column in the February and October issues of the AWS Welding Journal every year.
Authored article "Brazing vs. Braze Welding" in May 2020 issue of Industrial Heating magazine.
Authored article "Aerospace Brazing: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow" in August 2018 issue of AWS Welding Journal .
Authored article "Specialized C/C Fixtures for Today's Brazing Needs" in August 2018 issue of of Industrial Heating magazine.
Authored article "Torch Brazing by Hand" for February 2018 issue of Industrial Heating magazine.
Authored multi-part article "Using Induction Brazing in Manufacturing Operations" for April 2016 issue of Industrial Heating magazine.
Authored article "Aim for Small, Concave Fillets During Braze Inspection" for November, 2015 issue of the AWS Welding Journal .
Authored article “Brazing Heat-and-Corrosion Resistant Alloys for Robust Service” for September, 2014 issue of Industrial Heating magazine.
Authored article "Torch Brazing for Repairs" for October 2011 issue of the Cooling Journal magazine.
Authored article "Liquation of Brazing Filler Metals -- Good or Bad?" for November 2009 issue of Industrial Heating magazine.
Authored article "Controlling Suppliers and Customers: Key to Successful In-House Brazing?" for November 2004 issue of Industrial Heating magazine.
Authored article "Honeycomb-Brazing Essentials for Successful Use As Turbine Seals" for November 2003 issue of Industrial Heating magazine.
Authored article "Fillets in Brazing: Good or Bad" for October 2003 issue of the AWS Welding Journal .
Authored article "Ten Reasons to Choose Brazing" for September 2000 issue of the AWS Welding Journal .
Authored article "Repair Brazing" for May/June 2000 issue of Practical Welding Today magazine.
Authored article "Braze-Fixturing: A Key to Higher Productivity or a Thief?"" for January, 1994 issue of Industrial Heating magazine.
Authored article on "Diffusion Brazing" for ASM Handbook, Vol. 6, Welding, Brazing, and Soldering (©1993, ASM Int'l)
Revised and rewrote Chapter on "Fixturing" and chapter on Honeycomb Brazing for the forthcoming Sixth Edition of the AWS Brazing Handbook which will hopefully be issued in 2023. Also revised and rewrote Chapter 34 (Honeycomb Brazing) for the Fifth Edition (©2007, AWS) of the AWS Brazing Handbook, and contributed to, and reviewed, brazing information for inclusion in the AWS Brazing Handbook (Fourth Ed., ©1991, AWS).
Contributed to, and reviewed, brazing information for inclusion in the AWS Welding Handbook, Vol. 4, Metals and their Weldability (Seventh Ed., ©1982, AWS)
Have written additional, earlier articles on brazing design and techniques which have appeared in the Welding Journal (American Welding Society), in Heat Treating magazine, in Industrial Heating magazine, and in Practical Welding Today magazine.
Wrote and published the Nicrobraz NewsTM, a highly successful, technical brazing newsletter for Wall Colmonoy Corporation (which was issued 2-3 times per year). It achieved worldwide distribution to over 4000 recipients.
Dan is a "Life Member" in both the American Welding Society (AWS) and in ASM International .